Explore Colorado: Royal Arch

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Explore Colorado: Royal Arch

Jennifer Broome takes us to The Flatirons to hike the Royal Arch.

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The Flatirons are home to some great hiking trails. One of the most popular trails is up to the Royal Arch.

The Flatirons are remnants of the Fountain Formation. The sandstone rocks are estimated to be 290 to 296 years old. The sandstone layer was thrusted upward and tilted between 35 and 80 million years ago into the rocky ripples or waves that we see today. The Royal Arch is a fragment of the Fountain Formation. It was sculpted by erosion from wind, water and ice.

While the trail is only one point six miles each way, it is moderately strenuous with a net elevation gain of just over 12 hundred feet. You take the trail from Chautauqua Park, which is off of Baseline Road in Boulder.